1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for managing recording and reproduction of a multi-dubbed audio stream corresponding to an A/V stream recorded on a storage medium such as a high-density rewritable optical disc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, standardization of new high-density rewritable optical discs has rapidly progressed, for example, BD-RE (Blu-Ray Disc Rewritable), which can store a large quantity of high-quality video and audio data. As a result, products associated with such discs have also been developed. Such products are expected to be commercially available in the near future.
FIG. 1 illustrates a part of the configuration of an optical disc apparatus such as a video disc recorder (VDR) for recording or reproducing signals recorded on a storage medium such as a BD-RE. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical disc apparatus includes an optical pickup 2 for reading out a signal recorded on a storage medium 1 such as a BD-RE or recording a data stream externally inputted thereto and subjected to a signal processing procedure, a VDR system 3 for reproducing the signal read out by the optical pickup 2 or converting a data stream externally inputted thereto into a data stream to be appropriately recordable, and an encoder 4 for encoding an analog signal externally inputted thereto, and outputting the encoded signal to the VDR system 3.
The VDR system 3 of the optical disc apparatus having the above mentioned configuration may manage recording of a dubbed audio stream, as an auxiliary audio stream, corresponding to the A/V stream recorded on the BD-RE 1. This will be described in detail hereinafter.
FIG. 2 illustrates a linked condition between real play lists and virtual play lists in a rewritable optical disc, for example, a BD-RE. A/V streams are sequentially recorded on a BD-RE, for example, the BD-RE 1 of FIG. 1, in the unit of clips, and managed for recording and reproduction thereof by real play lists containing play control information for reading and reproduction of the A/V streams in the unit of clips and being recorded on the BD-RE 1, respectively. For example, a main A/V stream corresponding to a first clip, that is, a first clip main A/V stream (Clip 1 Main A/V Stream), is managed for its recording and reproduction by a first real play list (Real PlayList 1) containing play control information for reading and reproduction of the first clip main A/V stream, as shown in FIG. 2.
Meanwhile, a dubbed audio stream corresponding to a clip main stream is additionally recorded on the BD-RE 1 as a new clip auxiliary audio stream or a clip dubbed audio stream. For example, a dubbed audio stream corresponding to the first clip main stream linked to the first real play list is recorded as a second clip dubbed audio stream (Clip 2 Auxiliary Audio Stream). This second clip dubbed audio stream is managed for its recording and reproduction by a second real play list (Real PlayList 2).
Also, the VDR system 3 of the above mentioned optical disc apparatus produces and records virtual play lists in order to allow the user to optionally select, edit, and play real play lists recorded and managed in the above mentioned procedure. As shown in FIG. 2, such a virtual play list, for example, a first virtual play list (Virtual PlayList 1) associated with the first real play list, may include a play item (PlayItem) for a main path adapted to read out and reproduce the first clip main A/V stream linked to the first real play list, and a sub play item (SubPlayItem) for a sub path adapted to read out and reproduce the second clip dubbed audio stream linked to the second real play list.
Accordingly, the VDR system 3 of the optical disc apparatus can selectively reproduce the second clip dubbed audio stream managed by the second real play list at the request of the user during a reproducing operation thereof in which the first clip main A/V stream managed by the first real play list is read out and reproduced. Thus, the user can view the video image of the first clip main A/V stream and simultaneously listen to the audio sound of the second clip dubbed audio stream.
In rewritable optical discs such as the above mentioned BD-RE, however, there is a limitation in that only one play item and only one sub play item can be recorded in a virtual play list produced and recorded in an editing procedure performed by the user. For this reason, only one dubbed audio stream can be additionally recorded and managed for each of clip main A/V streams sequentially recorded in the unit of clips. As a result, there is a problem in that it is impossible to record and manage several dubbed audio streams desired by the user and to link the dubbed audio streams to one clip main A/V stream. Nevertheless, there is no method capable of efficiently solving this problem.